{"id":729778,"date":"2026-01-30T01:30:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T01:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/729778\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T01:30:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T01:30:18","slug":"you-dont-just-need-more-fiber-you-need-different-types-experts-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/729778\/","title":{"rendered":"You don\u2019t just need more fiber\u2014you need different types, experts say"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Colon cancer is rising among young adults. Here are signs to watch out for<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Dietary fiber deficiency increases the risk<\/a> of developing chronic inflammatory diseases, like Crohn\u2019s disease or ulcerative colitis, as well as autoimmune diseases and even allergies. In contrast, eating a high-fiber diet can support a healthier body weight, reducing rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease<\/a>, and colorectal cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Emerging research suggests that fiber may also help mitigate the adverse effects of microplastics<\/a> in our bodies. According to Katrine Whiteson, a professor and microbiome scientist at UC Irvine, \u201cfiber will protect you from all different kinds of environmental toxicities\u201d by creating a sort of matrix that will absorb and excrete them.<\/p>\n

The exact mechanisms by which different types of fiber interact with the body remain an active area of research. But Holscher advocates for \u201ceating a diverse array of plant-based fibers\u201d\u2014fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes\u2014to maximize the benefits.<\/p>\n

Some studies suggest that eating a wider range of dietary fiber sources may support a more diverse gut microbiome. One large-scale study<\/a> found that eating more than 30 different types of plants each week was associated with higher gut microbial diversity.<\/p>\n

Still, Whiteson says the causation isn\u2019t clear<\/a>, noting that people in some resource-limited regions consume relatively few fiber sources yet maintain highly diverse gut microbiomes. \u201cLike, the ones I got to work with in remote Ecuador, they have amazingly diverse gut microbiomes.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, Whiteson believes the goal should be to \u201cget more fiber and not be a perfectionist about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A\"A<\/p>\n

In an effort to increase fiber intake, some people also turn to fiber supplements and fiber-fortified foods.<\/p>\n

Joyce Lee, The New York Times\/Redux (Top) (Left) and Daria Bulgakova, Alamy Stock Photo (Bottom) (Right)<\/p>\n

Can supplements help?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no coincidence that fiber intake has declined in modern American diets.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the industrialized world, as we\u2019ve been eating more and more processed foods, our fiber consumption has really plummeted,\u201d Whiteson explains. Processing often involves stripping out the fiber-rich ingredients\u2014such as removing bran from wheat to produce white flour\u2014to improve texture, taste, and shelf life.<\/p>\n

(How much fiber do you really need to stay healthy?<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Colon cancer is rising among young adults. Here are signs to watch out for.) Dietary fiber deficiency increases…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":729779,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4318],"tags":[216942,33602,216937,216934,216938,187534,216939,4449,105,119973,216943,216941,4434,44405,216936,216935,16,15,216940,216944],"class_list":{"0":"post-729778","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-are-fiber-supplements-effective","9":"tag-dietary-fiber","10":"tag-fiber-and-gut-microbiome","11":"tag-fiber-benefits","12":"tag-fiber-deficiency","13":"tag-fiber-intake-recommendations","14":"tag-fiber-supplements","15":"tag-gut-health","16":"tag-health","17":"tag-high-fiber-foods","18":"tag-how-much-fiber-do-adults-need","19":"tag-is-fiber-good-for-gut-health","20":"tag-nutrition","21":"tag-resistant-starch","22":"tag-soluble-vs-insoluble-fiber","23":"tag-types-of-fiber","24":"tag-uk","25":"tag-united-kingdom","26":"tag-what-does-fiber-do-for-the-body","27":"tag-what-happens-if-you-dont-eat-enough-fiber"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115981466055955725","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}